ROME — Pope Francis has appointed General Councilor Fr. Paskalis Syukur, OFM, of St. Michael the Archangel Province as bishop of Bogor in Indonesia. The population of that region of Java is 16,283,000, but only 0.5 percent Catholic, with 83,406 faithful, 76 priests, and 205 religious, according to a Nov. 21 blog post by the English-speaking Conference.
The bishop-elect was born in Ranggu, Indonesia in 1962. He entered the Order after completing junior high school at the minor seminary Pius XIII Kisol in East Manggarai on Flores Island. Fr. Paskalis was ordained in 1991 and served in Moanemani Parish, Papua, until 1993.
He received a licentiate in spirituality from the Pontifical University Antonianum, Rome, in 1996. Upon his return to Indonesia, he was assigned as master of novices in Depok, West Java. He also served as guardian of the community and as a member of the Provincial Council. Fr. Paskalis was elected Provincial Minister in 2001 and served for two terms.
At the time of his appointment as bishop, he was serving as General Councilor for Asia and Oceania. Fr. Paskalis succeeds Bishop Cosmas Angkur, OFM.
Other news shared recently on the Facebook page of the English-speaking Conference includes:
• the mall ministry of St. John the Baptist friars
• World Aids Day
• Fast for Families initiative
• letter from the Order’s General Minister about Blessed Juniper Serra, OFM
— Compiled by Maria Hayes